January 6, 2015

Who’s getting excited for Valentine’s Day? I know I sure am! I can’t believe it’s right around the corner. I feel so fortunate to be included as a co-host for this Romantic PayPal Cash Giveaway with some of the most truly amazing bloggers around the blog-o-sphere! No need for a fancy dinner, roses, jewelry, a night out on the town, or some decadent chocolate candies to make my Valentine’s day wonderful. Just provide me with an opportunity to give to others (okay, and maybe some chocolate), and I’m tickled pink!

So, what will you do with the winnings? I’d love to hear. Feel free to drop me a comment and share your plans! Oh, and good luck!

October 31, 2014

Get ready, ‘cause this is BIG! About $1,000 in PayPal cash BIG! Thanks to some amazing friends and supporters of A Peek Into My Paradise we were able to come together collectively with aCASH PRIZE of $1000, which will be split evenly between two VERY LUCKY winners ($500 each in PayPal Cash)! It’s time to start thinking about what you would do with an extra $500 this holiday season! Yep, that’s right, an extra $500! Are your gears turning yet, thinking about what to do with all this money? Are things like cameras, laptops, a PS4, Christmas shopping, paying bills etc. dancing through your head? Consider all the wonderful possibilities and enter for your chance to win the:

October 8, 2014

Hey there! I’m excited to announce my beauty blog, Belle or Bust, is finally up and running. As of now, I only have one post published, and my ABOUT and CONTACT ME page completed but, hey, it’s up right?! And on Wordpress nonetheless! Yep, I learned am learning Wordpress. So far, I’m pretty impressed! Of course, my beauty blog will be a work in progress as I continue to make design tweaks, layout adjustments, add plug-ins, and optimize it for search engines!

September 17, 2014

It was Livi’s first day of school on September 15th, and she did me proud! I had mixed feelings about how she was going to react with dropping her off and not being able to go in with her. Our school has a strict policy in place that requires the parent to stay in their car at drop off so a teacher can escort them into the building. I was concerned Livi would question why I was letting someone she didn’t know take her away when we’ve been teaching her not to go with strangers since she was in utero. Okay, maybe not for that long, but close. Being that Livi was chosen off a wait list at the last minute, we missed the open house where we would have had the opportunity to meet the faculty and staff. With that said, I set up a meeting with her teacher so Livi and I could meet her in advance. Not only did this make Livi and I feel more comfortable about the first day of school, but her teacher was no longer a stranger.

September 12, 2014

If you missed my previous post, Beauty guru or bust, you’d know that I’m thinking of starting a beauty blog and YouTube channel. Before I do, however, it would be a HUGE help and greatly appreciated if you take a minute to vote on my poll (in the sidebar to the right). I’m anxious to see which topic you’d be interested in most! If you click the view button on the widget, it allows you to vote and leave comments. You can also leave me a comment here as well. In case you are torn between what you’d like to see on my new beauty blog, here are some new selfies to help you along. I had a blast with this make-up look. It was definitely Fall inspired. I used my new Smashbox Master Class Palette III for the very first time. And, before I let you go, Stila beauty products seriously rock! Just sayin’.

September 10, 2014

I’ve been obsessed lately with beauty gurus, both vloggers and bloggers. After much thought, I have decided to start a new beauty blog and/or YouTube channel. With Alivia starting school this Fall, I’ll have an entire hour and a half each day all to myself. I say that sarcastically since an hour and half isn’t even enough time for me to catch my breath never mind fulfill a life long passion of mine: MAKE-UP! And although it may not work out or fit in with our day-to-day activities and schedule, I’m still going to take the plunge and try!

With that said, I’d love to know what my readers would be interested in. Topics you’d like to see me post about, videos you’d like to watch, things you’d like to learn etc.

For those of you interested, I have every intention of keeping my primary blog, Cropped Stories, up and running. Of course, since my leave of absence, I’m sure you’ve noticed quite a BIG change in the frequency of posts being published. I went from publishing 2-3 posts a week to 1 every couple of months.

So, how do I intend to maintain two blogs when I can barely maintain one? Lots of praying! Praying for more hours in the day, ten more fingers to type with, Alivia to take naps, and a seemingly quick knowledge of video editing software. I just want to know how to add music to my videos already!

Anyhow, your participation in my poll would be helpful and much appreciated. You can also feel free to leave me a comment or email me at:

croppedstories[at]gmail[dot]com

I'm thinking of starting a beauty blog or YouTube channel. I'd love to know which topic would interest you most.

September 7, 2014

Whether you are blogging as a hobby or do it full time as work, I’m certain you are all too familiar with the responsibilities that go along with it. And while the benefits may outweigh the disadvantages, there are still some ugly truths to blogging. Why write a post on it though? Well, because I was never big on denial. And as a veteran in the blog-o-sphere, I felt responsible to let all the newbies out there know the truth, or should I say “truths”! Yeah, they may be ugly, but you’ll find them helpful as well. And that’s what this post is really about: educating and helping you!